Driving the Day

Good Monday morning from South by Southwest in Austin. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP will sign an executive order today to reorganize the federal government. The order will require "a through examination of every executive department and agency, to see where money is being wasted, how services can be improved and whether programs are truly serving American citizens," according to a White House aide.

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IN THE AFTERNOON, the president will meet with “victims of Obamacare to hear their stories and discuss how Obamacare is failing them,” according to a White House aide. The president is lunching with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and eating dinner with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is heading off to Asia this week.

SNOW UPDATE -- Via the Capital Weather Gang: “Depending on where you live, moderate to heavy amounts of snow could fall or a sloppy mix of snow, sleet and rain. The heaviest snowfall is expected to occur in our far western and northern areas, but the storm will likely will prove disruptive for much of the region through at least Tuesday morning. We want to stress that this forecast is extremely complex and we have lower confidence in predicted snow amounts than usual. This is especially true along and east of the Interstate 95 corridor where we have reduced our predicted snowfall amounts some. ...

“Tonight: Light snow or mixed precipitation, especially around the District and to the south and east, begins between 5 and 10 p.m., from south to north. When the precipitation begins, it should be light and temperatures will be well above freezing. In other words, we don’t expect slick roads for the commute home. … Total snow accumulations may vary substantially over short distances, but we expect generally around 3-6 inches inside the Beltway, with the potential for more north and west, and less south and east. … Believe it or not, a few snow flurries or snow showers could linger into Wednesday morning.” http://wapo.st/2mikALV

THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG WEEK -- The Congressional Budget Office is set to release its “score” -- the fiscal and practical impact -- of the Republican health-care bill today or tomorrow and it’s not expected to be pretty. The White House has been bashing the CBO, saying it frequently misses the mark, but it will be critical data for lawmakers on Capitol Hill as they consider how to vote. A budget-busting number could thwart the bill’s chances, or at least prolong this process.

PRESIDENT TRUMP is expected to release his budget Thursday. Remember: presidents’ budgets are wishlists and oftentimes don’t get more than a handful of votes in Congress. Plus, Fed Chair Janet Yellen is almost certain to hike interest rates this week. And the United Kingdom is beginning the process of formally leaving the European Union. Oh yeah, we almost forgot: Dutch voters go to the polls on Wednesday, in what’s being positioned as a major moment for the future of the European Union.

-- “Trump budget expected to seek historic contraction of federal workforce,” by WaPo’s Damian Paletta: “This would be the first time the government has executed cuts of this magnitude -- and all at once -- since the drawdown following World War II, economists and budget analysts said. The spending budget Trump is set to release Thursday will offer the clearest snapshot of his vision for the size and role of government. Aides say that the president sees a new Washington emerging from the budget process, one that prioritizes the military and homeland security while slashing many other areas, including housing, foreign assistance, environmental programs, public broadcasting and research. Simply put, government would be smaller and less involved in regulating life in America, with private companies and states playing a much bigger role.” http://wapo.st/2lSw6S9

SIREN -- “Another key Republican senator knocks GOP Obamacare plan,” by Burgess Everett: “Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) panned House Speaker Paul Ryan’s bill to repeal and replace Obamacare during a closed meeting with constituents on Saturday, according to audio obtained by POLITICO. The remarks by Heller, the most vulnerable GOP senator on the ballot next year, are another sign of the difficult prospects the House bill faces in the other chamber. Already, more than a half-dozen senators have criticized the bill, and Republicans can only afford to lose two votes.

“The Nevada senator has been quiet about the GOP’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act as he prepares to run for reelection as the only Republican incumbent from a state that Hillary Clinton won. But Heller raised significant issues to state Republicans and senior center residents about how the bill would affect the state’s Medicaid population, even as he declined to say that health care is a fundamental right. ‘I’ve heard a lot of people say that every American has a right to an automobile,’ Heller said to guffaws from liberal attendees, who frequently challenged him and at one point called him a liar. ‘Do I believe that all Americans should have access to health care? Absolutely I do.’

“Still, Heller took a far softer tack than the law’s staunchest opponents, frequently speaking of making ‘changes’ to Obamacare rather than eviscerating the law as some Republicans say they will do. He made no commitment to support the House-led effort to repeal the law, which could come before the Senate this month.” http://politi.co/2nvjpcg

TRUMP’S WASHINGTON -- NYT A1, “Trump Lets Key Offices Gather Dust Amid ‘Slowest Transition in Decades,’” by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Sharon LaFraniere: “At the State Department, the normally pulsating hub of executive offices is hushed and virtually empty. At the Pentagon, military missions in some of the world’s most troubled places are being run by a defense secretary who has none of his top team in place. And at departments like Treasury, Commerce and Health and Human Services, many senior posts remain vacant even as the agencies have been handed enormous tasks like remaking the nation’s health insurance system.

“From the moment he was sworn in, President Trump faced a personnel crisis, starting virtually from scratch in lining up senior leaders for his administration. Seven weeks into the job, he is still hobbled by the slow start, months behind where experts in both parties, even some inside his administration, say he should be. The lag has left critical power centers in his government devoid of leadership as he struggles to advance policy priorities on issues like health care, taxes, trade and environmental regulation. Many federal agencies and offices are in states of suspended animation, their career civil servants answering to temporary bosses whose influence and staying power are unclear, and who are sometimes awaiting policy direction from appointees whose arrival may be weeks or months away.” http://nyti.ms/2neUM7F

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: UAE airlines bought $42 billion in US-made commercial aircraft at the 2017 Dubai Airshow. That's economic growth and jobs for Americans. The UAE-US commercial aviation relationship is a win-win deal. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE … -- “Trump’s pushing deals, but his ‘surround-sound’ political group isn’t,” by Shane Goldmacher: “A political group launched by some of President Donald Trump’s top campaign advisers to boost the White House in its biggest policy fights has been conspicuously absent as Trump begins to sell his agenda, hobbled by staffing delays, internal jockeying for control and a struggle to win the favor of big donors. Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway once promised the organization, now knownas America First Policies,would provide a ‘surround-sound super structure’ to boost the president’s goals. After nearly two months, there has been little activity aside from a press release announcing the group’s formation and a recent smattering of posts on Twitter and Facebook.

“‘To say that the folks inside the White House are disappointed that there’s been no air support in the first 50 days is an understatement,’ said a person involved with the nonprofit, one of ten Trump officials engaged with the group or at the White House who spoke about the group with POLITICO. ‘Things have moved very slow and there’s a lot of frustration that things need to move faster.’ Now some are setting out to create a second competing nonprofit group, with the notable backing of the wealthy Mercer family, who are perhaps the most prominent donors in Trump’s orbitand who have long sought strict authorityover their political spending. A third group could even be in the works. ‘There’s just a power struggle here and people want complete control,’ said another official with America First Policies. ‘It’s just not helpful. It’s just frustrating to a lot of us.’” http://politi.co/2mBqAk9

HMM … -- “Rep. Steve King blasted for ‘our civilization’ tweet,” by USA Today’s Greg Toppo: “King … on Sunday found himself again the subject of criticism, this time for saying that Muslim children are preventing ‘our civilization’ from being restored. King, who was retweeting a message endorsing Geert Wilders, a far-right candidate for Dutch prime minister, said Wilders ‘understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.’ U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, (R-Fla.) ... tweeted the hashtag #concernedGOPcolleague, asking King: ‘What exactly do you mean? Do I qualify as ‘somebody else’s baby?’ Duke on Sunday also tweeted, simply: ‘GOD BLESS STEVE KING!!! #TruthRISING.’” http://dmreg.co/2mCGwUH

SCOOP -- “Pelosi retools communications shop to battle Trump,” by Isaac Dovere: On “Monday, she’ll announce the hiring of Ashley Etienne as communications director and senior adviser ... Etienne will have three main focuses: oversight, ethics and Russia. She’ll be charged with trying to keep up a consistent, coordinated line of attack for House Democrats while others handle the daily fray. That will include sharpening Democratic messaging, and collaborating with the various Democratic caucuses and the Senate Democrats. … Pelosi is also promoting her deputy communications director, Caroline Behringer, to be senior communications adviser ... [focusing] on Obamacare repeal and tax issues. Etienne is returning to Pelosi’s shop after spending the past two years in the Obama White House, running Cabinet press operations.” http://politi.co/2lSyzfc

SUSAN GLASSER’s latest “Global Politico” podcast -- dateline: Sulaymaniyah, Iraq -- “Can Iraq Survive Trump?”: “[Fourteen] years after Bush’s invasion, Iraq’s future—and that of independence-aspiring Kurdistan along with it—is very much in doubt. ... Will Iraq make it through? The answer, I heard in dozens of conversations over the last week here, was strikingly uncertain, with dire scenarios ranging from the long-feared splintering of the state to a new outbreak of warlordism and civil war to the return of a Saddam-like dictator. Even self-proclaimed optimists for the future of Iraqi democracy say they have a hard time envisioning how the country manages to pull it off, and the country’s leader, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, is viewed as well-intentioned but weak, a creature of the Baghdad Green Zone who has few tools at his disposal to broker a lasting deal.” http://politi.co/2mZVepJ … Transcript of Glasser’s interview with Kurdistan deputy prime minister Qubad Talabanihttp://politi.co/2mZWfye … Subscribehttp://apple.co/2ki98RY

THE JUICE …

-- SPOTTED-- THE KUSHNER FAMILY at Sunday brunch at Le Diplomate on 14th Street. “Tucked away in back corner with both kids. Both parents engaged and happy,” per our tipster. … Seth Rogen and Nick Kroll separately walking through the bustling lobby of the Four Seasons in Austin.

-- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK is trying to adapt to the new world order of online advertising. The nonprofit and the super PAC the Congressional Leadership Fund are becoming the first outside groups to enter into a Google Preferred Partnership, an effort to advertise more efficiently and effectively online with personalized content. The groups are committing 20 percent of their ad budget to online efforts. The partnership gives the groups access to Google consumer surveys for polling and to their creative team, and they’ll have a Google implant in their offices.

-- SOMETHING TO WATCH -- Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D-Conn.) got a standing ovation after telling a crowd of 375 people in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Sunday that he was going to introduce legislation to reverse Trump’s executive orders on immigration. After the rally, the Connecticut Democrat told POLITICO’s Scott Mahaskey: “I’m going to be working with my colleagues” and that it would be “similar in purpose” to what Senate Democrats introduced after Trump’s original travel ban. He declined to give any specifics. Pix http://bit.ly/2lSAiBb … http://bit.ly/2mBcHlR

-- AEI’S SEA ISLAND retreat was this weekend. Check out this Cessna Citation Sovereign flight, which went from DCA to St. Simons Island (a few minutes from Sea Island) Thursday night, and then to Janesville, Wisconsin, Sunday. Speaker Paul Ryan is from Janesville. Maybe it's just a coincidence. http://bit.ly/2mgsNiN

-- “Holder, Pelosi, McAuliffe start redistricting fundraising,” by Isaac Dovere: “Before they get to redistricting reform, they’ll need cash. Democrats leading the party’s new effort to coordinate political and legal resources to redraw state legislatures’ and House of Representatives’ maps will kick off the first phase of fundraising next weekend, heading to San Francisco on Saturday and Los Angeles on Sunday to make their case to some of California’s biggest donors. Former Attorney General Eric Holder — who’s chairing the National Democratic Redistricting Committee — will be joined by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.” http://politi.co/2mBkjVp

PLAYBOOK POOL COLLEGE BBALL CHALLENGE IS LIVE -- SUBMIT YOUR BRACKET NOW! Here’s how: 1) Head to our website and make your picks. 2) Be sure to list your “sponsor” – aka, the Playbook that referred you. (DC, NY, NJ, MA, FL, IL, CA). 3) Choose wisely – you’ll be up against POLITICO insiders, VIPs and elected officials. 4) Sit back and compete to win prizes including Amazon Echos & Dots, BEATS headphones, Snapchat Spectacles and more (not to mention major bragging rights). 5) Brag to your friends as you see your name atop the leader board. Make sure to submit by the first four games tomorrow! http://bit.ly/2mBRTNX

WATCH LIVE -- We’re kicking off our inaugural PLAYBOOK EXCHANGE event this morning at the WeDC House (340 E 2nd Street) as part of SXSW in Austin, Texas. We will be talking with Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego about all things politics. Doors open at 11 a.m. Tune in around 11:30 a.m. Livestream http://politi.co/2mzJlpA

Playbook Reads

DEEP DIVE – “Trolling the Press Corps: The Trump Administration disrupts the daily briefing,” by The New Yorker’s Andrew Marantz: “‘Historically, the way the briefing room has been organized is, the closer you are, the farther you’ve come,’ [Major] Garrett said. ... More experienced reporters, he said, ‘ask questions that are sharper, more informed. Not, “What’s your message today?” Not, “Here’s a paintbrush—would you paint us a pretty picture?” ... A longtime Washington reporter from a mainstream network ... [said:] ‘I don’t mind them bringing in conservative voices that they feel have been underrepresented ... Personally, I don’t even mind them f***ing with the front-row guys, the Jonathan Karls of the world. Those guys are a smug little cartel, and it’s fun to watch them squirm, at least for a little while. But at what point does it start to delegitimize the whole idea of what happens in that room? When does it cross the line into pure trolling?’ ...

“President Trump, by most accounts, is rarely too busy to watch TV, especially when he is the topic. ‘Look at his daily schedule, and you’ll notice how few events are held between 1 and 2 p.m.,’ [a] radio correspondent told me. This is the hour during which Spicer almost always conducts his briefings. ... Another correspondent pointed out how often press aides deliver notes to Spicer while he’s at the lectern, and how obediently Spicer seems to respond to the notes’ directives, cutting a response short or abruptly ending a briefing. The reigning theory is that the notes are transcribed messages from the President, watching live from elsewhere in the building.” http://bit.ly/2nvjrRr

POWER LUNCH -- “Former President Obama visits Omaha Sunday” – AP/Omaha: “Former President Barack Obama stopped in Omaha briefly on Sunday to have lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett.Obama landed in Omaha Sunday afternoon and was driven to Happy Hollow Country Club.Susie Buffett said she and her father spent about 2½ hours together in a private room at the country club where her father is a member.... The Buffetts both had Thunderbird salads and Obama had a taco salad.” http://bit.ly/2nkUdWT

CABINET WATCH -- “How Perdue’s power benefits his friends,” by Ian Kullgren: “President Donald Trump’s nominee for Agriculture secretary, agribusiness tycoon and former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, has long mixed personal and political business to benefit his friends and business associates — and he’s on track to do it again, even before he’s confirmed to the Cabinet post. A POLITICO examination of Perdue’s list of appointments when he was governor — from 2003 to 2011 — found more than a dozen instances when he gave positions to business associates and campaign donors, and other occasions when he rewarded his state staff with opportunities in his agriculture and shipping empire after he left office. ... Perdue faced 13 complaints to the state ethics commission during his years as governor, two of which resulted in findings that he broke state ethics laws. In 2002, Perdue was caught funneling illegal amounts of money from his private businesses into his campaign account.” http://politi.co/2neZjXK

“OFF MESSAGE” podcast -- “Democratic Rep. Espaillat on immigrants: ‘People are scared,’” by Isaac Dovere: Adriano “Espaillat, a freshman Democrat who’s the first former undocumented immigrant elected to Congress, represents the Washington Heights neighborhood where he and his family lived with his grandparents 50 years ago. And he calls President Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrants who came to the U.S. as children like he did ‘a disservice to our nation.’ ... I asked him whether he thinks Trump, a fellow New Yorker, understands the immigrant experience. ‘He doesn’t seem to.’” http://politi.co/2mCKAnT

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: Boeing is the preferred supplier for UAE commercial aviation requirements. Over the past 10 years, UAE customers have ordered $150 billion in Boeing planes, supporting 781,000 jobs in the US and injecting billions of dollars into the US economy. In 2016, the US had a $19 billion trade surplus with the UAE, America's third largest trade surplus globally. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

FIRST FAMILY -- “Donald Trump Jr: At Fundraiser, President’s Son Says ‘Zero Contact’ With Dad,” by NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard in Dallas: “Donald Trump Jr. said he has had virtually no contact with his father since the real estate tycoon and reality star became president and ceded control of his business empire to his oldest sons. ... Trump spoke at the invitation of Doug Deason, a Dallas millionaire and prominent donor to wealthy conservative activists Charles and David Koch.” http://nbcnews.to/2mRukQH

COMING ATTRACTIONS -- “Europe’s aim: Sway, not provoke, Trump on climate,” by Andrew Restuccia and Sara Stefanini: “European diplomats are carefully crafting a strategy for dealing with Donald Trump on climate change, fearful of provoking a backlash from the mercurial president if they push too hard for U.S. cooperation. Germany, France, Italy, the European Commission and others see two high-profile gatherings of world leaders — this summer’s G7 and G20 summits in Italy and Germany — as the perfect opportunities to push the Trump administration to take a stance on climate, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to the White House on Tuesday as a potential prelude.” http://politi.co/2lSBdBF

-- “Republicans Pose Growing Challenge to Trump’s Trade Agenda: GOP lawmakers warn that imposing tariffs may result in stiff retaliation,” by WSJ’s Will Mauldin and Jake Schlesinger: “The concerns indicate that the biggest threat to Mr. Trump’s trade policy -- which emphasizes new bilateral deals and a tougher stance against countries blamed for violating trade rules -- is coming from his own party. The opposition from Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, stands to complicate Mr. Trump’s efforts to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta, and tackle alleged trade violations in China. ‘We want to support him on all those things; we’re not there yet,’ said Sen. Jim Inhofe (R., Okla.), whose state depends on aerospace and agricultural exports. ...

“‘I’m more concerned about what they might do renegotiating existing agreements than what they do bilaterally with countries they don’t have agreements with,’ said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), a member of the committee that oversees trade. ‘We know what we have, and I guess I don’t think it’s as bad as what the president thinks it is,’ he said, citing Nafta, which opened markets for farm exports. … ‘My concern is that they’re making it too difficult to enter into trade agreements,’ said Sen. Cory Gardner (R., Colo.). ‘I’m concerned that when we remove ourselves from the playing field of multilateral opportunities, our trading partners will look elsewhere for leadership -- and that leadership can come from countries that don’t follow the same norms and values that we do,’ he added, alluding to China’s attempts to fill the void in Asia following the U.S. withdrawal from the TPP.” http://on.wsj.com/2mB6Eh3

WEST COAST WATCH -- “California Democrats unveil expansive aid plan with goal of making public colleges ‘debt-free’,” by L.A. Times’ Melanie Mason and Teresa Watanabe: “Seizing on growing concerns over college affordability, California lawmakers are poised to propose what would be the most generous college aid plan in the nation, covering not just tuition but also living expenses that have led to spiraling student debt. The plan, to be formally rolled out by Assembly Democrats at a news conference Monday morning, would supplement California’s existing aid programs, with the aim of eradicating the need for student loans for nearly 400,000 students in the Cal State and University of California systems. It also would boost grants to community college students and give those attending them full time a tuition-free first year.” http://lat.ms/2nvgRee

MEDIAWATCH -- NYT A1, “For Solace and Solidarity in the Trump Age, Liberals Turn the TV Back On,” by Michael Grynbaum and John Koblin: “Left-leaning MSNBC, after flailing at the end of the Obama years, has edged CNN in prime time. ... [R]attled liberals are surging back, seeking catharsis, solidarity and relief. … MSNBC’s growth has outpaced its rivals — its prime-time audience in February was up 55 percent from a year ago — a striking turnaround for a channel once considered the also-ran of cable news. The network has beaten CNN in total weekday prime-time viewers for six of the last seven months. (CNN still outranks MSNBC in prime time among the advertiser-friendly audience of adults ages 25 to 54.)” http://nyti.ms/2lSjquA

--CHARLIE ROSE is back co-hosting “CBS This Morning” today from a month off air after undergoing heart surgery.

Playbookers

TRANSITIONS -- Erika Gudmundson, most recently Chelsea Clinton’s press secretary, starts today as director of communications for Zumper, an apartment rental website start-up. … Dave Sours starts this week as deputy digital director at the NRCC. He was previously a senior manager at IMGE, is a native Virginian and graduated from Virginia Tech. ... Neal Patel is moving from Sen. Dean Heller’s (R-Nev.) office, where he was counsel and communications director, to OMB’s legislative affairs team.

OUT AND ABOUT AT SXSW -- The LBJ School of Public Affairs hosted a reception yesterday for U.S. mayors and other policymakers from around the country to celebrate the What Works Cities initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Results for America. SPOTTED: Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski, Laredo City Manager Jesus Olivares, RFA COO David Medina, Bloomberg’s Stacey Gillett, and LBJ DC’s Tom O’Donnell.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Kiki McLean, director of the Walton Family political and comms office and a Clinton alum – she’s on the road for work today so she celebrated with a weekend lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl with her family – read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2mBjXhm

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: UAE airlines have received or have on order more than 800 Boeing aircraft. Emirates is the world's largest operator of Boeing 777s and has 40 Boeing 787-10s currently on order. Flydubai operates an all-Boeing fleet of planes and has a total of 361 Boeing 737s on order. Etihad operates 24 Boeing 777s with 25 more on order, and has an additional $8.7 billion order for Boeing 787-10s. UAE airlines now serve 11 US gateway cities from Dubai and Abu Dhabi with more than 250 weekly nonstop flights. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

About The Author

Anna Palmer is a senior Washington correspondent for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics.

Anna covers the world of Congress and politics, and has successfully chronicled the business of Washington insiders for years. Her stories take readers behind the scenes for the biggest fights in Washington as well as the 2016 election.

Prior to becoming POLITICO’s senior Washington correspondent, Anna was the co-author of the daily newsletter, POLITICO Influence, considered a must-read on K Street.

Anna previously covered House leadership and lobbying as a staff writer for Roll Call. She got her start in Washington journalism as a lobbying business reporter for the industry newsletter Influence. She has also worked at Legal Times, where she covered the intersection of money and politics for the legal and lobbying industry, first as a staff writer and then as an editor.

A native of North Dakota, Anna is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she was executive editor of the weekly campus newspaper, the Manitou Messenger. She lives in Washington, D.C.

About The Author

Jake Sherman is a senior writer for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics.

Jake is the top congressional reporter on Capitol Hill and has built a career on landing hard-to-get scoops

Since 2009, Jake has chronicled all of the major legislative battles on Capitol Hill, and has also traveled the country to cover the battle for control of Congress.

Jake takes readers inside the rooms where decisions are made. His high-impact reporting resulted in the resignation of Aaron Schock.

Before landing at POLITICO, Jake worked in the Washington bureaus of The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He also interned on the metro desk of The Journal News (N.Y.) and, during high school, worked on the sports desk of the Stamford Advocate (Conn.).

Jake is a Connecticut native, and a graduate of The George Washington University — where he edited The GW Hatchet — and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Jake lives in Washington with his wife Irene, and listens to an unhealthy amount of Grateful Dead and Phish.

About The Author

Daniel Lippman is a reporter for POLITICO and a co-author of POLITICO's Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics.

Before joining POLITICO, he was a fellow covering environmental news for E&E Publishing and a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York. He has also interned for McClatchy Newspapers and Reuters. During a stint freelancing in 2013, he traveled to the Turkish-Syrian border to cover the impact of the Syrian civil war for The Huffington Post and CNN.com.

He graduated from The Hotchkiss School in 2008 and from The George Washington University in 2012. Daniel hails from the Berkshires in western Massachusetts and enjoys playing tennis, seeing movies and trying out new restaurants in his free time.